• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

Ghosty's humble Glog March 2012

The first two shots are before transplant. I decided to try Baker's suggestion and bought a bag of pine bark mulch and added 30 - 40% to the bottom of each transplant pot (not blended btw), except one to see if there was any difference. I also took my healthiest trinidad scorpion and put it in the biggest pot to see if I would get more growth out of it. I transplanted trinidad scorpions, chocolate bhut jolokia's and regular bhuts. You will notice some plants are well along, over three months, while some about a month and some just started. I want to see if I can get peppers from all of them and in what time frame. If we have a hot spring, and above average summer as far as heat I imagine they will produce early. I have been taking flower buds off of them regularly. After transplant, I hit them with a weak solution of miracle grow. All of the pots have bark mulch in the bottom, only the cups are potting soil.

The last four shots are after transplant you can see the size width difference of all of the large grey pots ( all trinidad scorpions, BTW ), the others in the smaller pots in the plastic container are bhut, chocolate bhut and trinidad scorpions. The tiny little cups are the same with the exception being that I have a pair of white bhuts (I hope), and I tried pairing some of them together to see how they grow, to see if slower or about the same as a single plant. Only time will tell, that's it for now, they will stay in those pots until harvest. I may up-size pots and soil on some if they appear they are still growing. No bugs, fungus, aphids or insects on any one of them thanks to malathion (which I hate btw) but it works. Lets see what happens with these in a couple of months. I fluffed the soil as much as possible before planting and plan to water from the bottom for best root penetration and to keep insects down. They like the damp top soil I guess. A couple of my scorpions in red cups went into shock, none of the others did, I have them under a light, and have not a clue as why only two did and not the others, they came out of clear cups to the larger red ones, that was the only difference I could see. Very odd to say the least. Lastly, what should I be shooting for as far as PH goes ? I plan to buy a meter soon, what is a decent brand and price ?














Ghosty...
 
Your plants look great, Ghosty! I see you have an air pot goin'.
Are your plants out full time now?
 
Your plants look great, Ghosty! I see you have an air pot goin'.
Are your plants out full time now?
Ha, maybe in another 30 - 45 days were will see, they are still indoors and a PITA to care for. When you get cold temps, what are you going to do ?
Indoor basket ball sized grow room with lights, that's what !!!

Ghosty...
 
I addressed the huge pot, shallow root issue which makes it impossible to water from the bottom issue
with this, a 1 gallon light pressure sprayer from Home Depot. Pump it up, put the head in about root
depth near the plant, and let the roots have it. I have the sprayer adjusted to medium to so it doesn't
take forever to water, pull the trigger and about 45 seconds later, done. The soil on top stays nice
and dry, and hopefully free of fungus, larvae hatch, etc...It is a PITA to do, but the best I could come up
with. If I stay bug free I will consider it a success until they are put outdoors at the end of May.
See picture below:

Ghosty....

onegallonsprayer.jpg
 
Will be interesting to see how that solution works out for you, ghosty!
 
Here are the results of my germination, purple bhuts (only one, sniff), Mopeppa's 7 Pot douglah OP's and Brain Strain's. (from left to right) sprouted after 7 day germination, no soak. Hopefully they will get big enough by September to produce pods, I have a bunch, all staggered from 2 to 4 weeks apart, so I won't run pepper dry, hopefully. What should you look for in the purples as they get bigger ? Purple veins ?



Ghosty...
 
Plants are looking good bro. The things we do for our chiles mang...can't wait for plant out. (But that means I have to rip up the ground and make my garden.......shit. Oh well. I like gettin' right into the dirt. My minds full of it, so Im a natural.) Good luck on the rest of your grow!
 
Ack !!! I was trying to let my transplanted supers got some much needed mid day sun, put them outside, very light breeze, bright sun,
temperature approaching 50F, and about an hour an a half later, the DREADED LEAF DROP. What is the minimum temperature I
can bring these outside without negative results ? They have recovered after being brought back in the house. I shudder to think
what would have happened if I took off and left them for the afternoon.

I also took a year old plant, which had aphids, flies of some sort and put it outside to see if it will survive being abused. I water it and
will treat what remaining leaves are there for more infestation, but that's about it. I don't care if it dies, but I want to see how hardy this
standard bhut jolokia really is. Time will tell.

My sprayer watering scheme seems to be working, I have had a few curled leaves on one plant, but it seems to be correcting itself.
I life the plant to see how much water the pot is holding, if it seems really light I give it a dose from the sprayer.

Ghosty...
 
Time for a little experiment, see the picture below, Vital Earth's organic, Manna Mix,
ingredients: coconut pith, sphagnum peat moss, perlite, peatmoss, Mega worm@earth worm castings,
Vital Earth Organic Compost OMRI, Vital Earth Rose and Flower Mix, Vital Earth Powdered glacial rock dust.

Before you go off on me about where this stuff came from, it came from a grow shop. I am going
to replace the soil in a few of my pots with the same kind of pepper and about the same size with this
stuff, and see what happens, possibly fuller foliage, more flowers, bigger pods, etc... you get the idea.
The stuff isn't cheap, and in the end, cost versus benefit will determine if I use it again or not.
You can find the stuff here, if interested. If anyone has used this and had a good or bad experience
please chime in.

The one gallon pressure sprayer slow, awkward watering technique is working like a charm, we will see
if it holds once the indoor temps hit the high 70's and low 80's this spring. If it still works then I would
say we have a winner, anyone care to differ or offer a better indoor watering solution I am all ears.




Ghostman... out...
 
Experiment underway, I transplanted my six seedlings, 2 purple ghosts, 2 7 Pot Douglah OP, and 2 Brainstrain to large cups with the manna mix. I found it interesting that the later bloomer, the second purple ghost was almost as big as the first one which sprouted almost a week and a half earlier, I wonder what contributed to that effect. The first two pics are of the seedlings before transplant, the third and fourth are of a nice trinidad scorpion before and after transplant. Note: I mixed the pot with 40% pine bark mulch mixed in with the Manna Mix. I have another trinidad scorpion in a red cup like the third picture and for now going to keep it there to see if the first one will take off. They will all get the same treatment with same watering and fertilizing every two weeks like I have been doing using a weak miracle grow solution.









Ghosty...
 
I decided to try some other approach to fighting pests, thanks to smokemaster's post here in Melissa's 2012 Glog. I always have loved Preying Mantis ever since I was a little kid, so I figured, what the heck, 200 little buddies in my plants outside this summer would be a blast. Forget the bug control I just like watching them, it claims they can take eight weeks for them to hatch, so will have to get them started soon.

Last summer I was walking by the beach, on a preserve walking trail and there was an immature mantis on a branch, a few folks stopped to admire and they had a camera, so I picked him up, held him near a branch and he posed for the camera, I am not kidding either. Haven't seen one around our house for years, but with a little luck that will change this season. Maybe I won't have to resort to the nasty malathion again. I may order some lady bugs too.


Oh, BTW, don't mess with the female or you will end up like the male at the end of this video...


Ghosty... bugging out...
 
Hey, ghosty, those chinense plants really look good, very healthy
and lush. Looks like you are going to have lots of seedlings to transplant!
 
I am beginning to think that possibly the malathion had a one time effect on some of my plants which would account for the leaves being slightly brown goldish, but only in certain leaves, I treated them all before transplanting them, maybe the stuff in it somehow gets into the plant system and the sunlight causes a chemical reaction. I am going to do some research and see if I can pin it down as the cause. All plants are outdoors, in semi sun shade, pics later today. You will see the same effect on other plants. Weird, huh ?

Ghosty...
 
I had some red aphids on some of my tomato seedlings and yesterday I picked up some Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap. I am normally a little skeptical of the organic insecticides but this stuff killed them almost instantly. You might give it a try.
dvd,

I did use insecticidal soap. It works, for awhile, then in two or three weeks the little buggers are back, I don't have red aphids. Like I said after trying two or three things, all organic, rinses, etc... with the same results I got frustrated, and asked for something that would KILL EM ALL for good. Let me know if the soap knocks them out for good. You have to get the larvae too.

I suspect that my probe watering is not getting to all the roots and maybe the brown on part of the leaves is a sign of dry roots in certain places which translates to part of the leaf being brown. I am leaving the wand in longer now, watching the level on the jug to make sure I get the right amount in. The good news is no bugs whatsoever. Like I said before the real test will be when the indoor temps hit the high seventies and the nasties in the soil try to hatch. It should be pretty hard without any moisture.

Ghosty...
 
I am surprised no one thought of this, while chatting on PF a friend suggested this: Fusarium Wilt:

Disease fungi (Fusarium oxysporum) enter through the roots and interfere with the water conducting vessels of the plant. As the infection spreads up into the stems and leaves it restricts water flow, causing the foliage to wilt and turn yellow. Symptoms often appear later in the growing season and are first noticed on the lower (older) leaves. As the disease progresses, the younger leaves will also be affected and the plant eventually dies. In many cases, only one branch or side of the plant shows symptoms.

Fusarium wilt can survive for years in the soil and is spread by water, insects, and garden equipment. It develops during hot weather and is most destructive when soil temperatures approach 80 degrees F. Dry weather and low soil moisture encourages this plant disease.

I pinched the bad leaves as suggested by my friends on the other forum. The dry soil part fits for sure. You can't have it both ways it seems, too moist is bad as is too dry, sigh.... I didn't sterilize my fingers with bleach between pinches though, that seems a bit extreme.




Ghosty...
 
The mantis mansion arrived today, see photo, I will keep it in the paper bag, and protect it from light with some foil, keep it on the heat mat and keep checking it.
Six to eight weeks till they hatch, 100 to 200 of em. The plant with the funky leaves after being removed is producing new growth. No more yellowing,
I will post pics of the new growth this weekend.



Ghosty...
 
I took a large chocolate bhut to work today, and coworkers discovered this on some of the leaves, the only ones affected seem
to be thin ones, small holes, check it out, I examined the plant with a high intensity LED lamp, top and bottom, and can't determine
what made the holes, there is no sign of insects. I never had these weird problems when watering from the top, or bottom. Have a look. Let me know what you think. After I posted I put the leaf on the laptop screen, low and behold there are hundreds of little pinholes as well. Good thing I did. You can't see them otherwise, make sure your laptop has a nice white bright background, it is a great diagnostic tool.





Ghosty...
 
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